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3 people, 2 dogs jump overboard as yacht burns and sinks

Yacht Fire
Posted at 9:46 AM, Jun 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-20 22:28:55-04

NEW CASTLE, N.H. (AP) — Three people have been treated at and released from a hospital after a 70-foot yacht burned and sank in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Department of Safety says the vessel was on the Piscataqua River heading toward a marina in New Castle around 4 p.m. Saturday when a passenger noticed black smoke below deck.

Three passengers and two dogs jumped overboard as the boat became engulfed in flames.

Arthur Watson, 67, Diane Watson, 57, Jarrod Tubbs, 33, and the two dogs, were all rescued by other boaters.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Efforts to save the yacht were unsuccessful.

"The vessel drifted out of the harbor with the outgoing tide across the state line into Maine," authorities said.

Within two hours of the initial call, the boat reportedly sank near Kittery, Maine.